Hello everyone!
My name is Sarah Bachinger, and I am an eco–sci artist and filmmaker based in Upstate New York. My work lives at the intersection of art, ecology, and emotional storytelling, exploring our entanglement with the cryosphere—glaciers, snow, and ice—and the deep human experiences of grief, reverence, kinship, and stewardship. My practice spans photography, experimental film, mixed media, sound, and community-engaged art, and is rooted in reweaving our relationship with the more-than-human world.
I am humbled, honored, and still a little bit stunned to share that I have been selected to participate in the 2025 Werner Herzog Filmmaking Experience—chosen from a pool of 272 applicants from 43 countries. To be one of only 50 filmmakers invited into this immersive mentorship is a profound privilege and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
For 11 days, I will join filmmakers from around the world in a rigorous, collaborative, and transformative program led by Werner Herzog himself. In creative pairs, we will
- develop a film from the very first spark of an idea,
- write, shoot, and edit the work collaboratively,
- explore experimental forms and cinematic storytelling,
- learn directly from Herzog’s approach to vision, intuition, and poetic truth, &
- screen our completed films at the end of the program.
Participants were selected not just for skill, but for clarity of vision, creative depth, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to a collective cinematic experiment. Being chosen affirms the importance of the climate-centered, emotionally resonant, cross-disciplinary work I’ve dedicated my life to. It also opens the door to relationships, mentorship, and artistic growth that will profoundly shape my current film projects—including With The Meltwaters, So Too We Go and future community-based ecological storytelling.
Additionally, I hope to offer youth filmmaking workshops here in Upstate, NY - this experience and the knowledge I will gain from it will help inform this effort.
While the program is an extraordinary gift, it comes with significant costs, including tuition, travel, housing, equipment, and time away from paid work. I am turning to my community—friends, supporters, collaborators, and all who believe in climate storytelling and the power of art—to help make this possible. The payment of fees to participate in the program and confirmation of participation is due on December 11.
Your support will help cover:
- Program tuition
- Travel to and from the workshop
- Lodging and meals during the 11-day intensive
- Essential film and audio equipment insurance
- Other related expenses
Any amount, no matter how small, will bring me closer to participating fully and wholeheartedly in this rare opportunity. If you’re unable to contribute financially, sharing this campaign with others is equally meaningful.
I know that this is hard time for many folks, and it is hard for me to ask for help when there are so many other in dire need. However, it is my aim that this opportunity is not just for me—it is for the communities and landscapes I serve through my work, and for the future stories I am committed to telling with care, imagination, and responsibility. My goal through my work is to tell and bring awareness to the stories that are important, and that resonate with the human spirit - with the hope that they offer support to make the world a better place - for all of us, human and more-than-human alike.
Thank you for helping me step into this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I am deeply grateful for your support.
With warmth and gratitude,
Sarah
If you are interested in learning more about me and my work - please feel free to visit my portfolio at www.sebachinger.com , www.dirtpicturestudio.com or www.novaeonstudio.com
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